Rep. LaKeshia Myers is running for vacant Milwaukee Senate seat, has Lena Taylor's support

Rep. LaKeshia Myers is running for a vacant Milwaukee state Senate district and has the support of former Sen. Lena Taylor, who resigned the seat when she was sworn in as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge last week.

"There's so many things that we've done together and legislation that we've done together," Taylor told 'Upfront,' WISN-TV’s Sunday morning show before she was sworn in. "I believe that continuity will make for a great transition."

When asked if she's identified or endorsed a candidate to take her spot, Taylor said she supports Myers. "But as of four o'clock, I'm out of that," she said, referring to not engaging in politics once sworn in as a judge.

Myers launched her bid for the 4th Senate District shortly after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced he was appointing Taylor to the court. Myers was first elected to the Assembly in 2018, and said her first employment after college was in Taylor's office.

Myers said she and Taylor, both Democrats, align on "probably 99.9%" of legislative issues, and they've worked together on juvenile justice, agriculture and education.

"I wanted to provide a continuum of service," Myers told the Journal Sentinel on Sunday. "I want to continue to be able to offer a lot of the in-depth resources that her office was able to offer ... because that's what we're used to, being a resident of the 4th. People expect a high-quality level of constituent resources."

Evers has not yet called a special election to fill Taylor's seat in the Senate. Taylor and Myers said their understanding is the governor will not be able to pick a date until a redistricting challenge concludes, but Myers is "preparing for the day that that is called."

A state Supreme Court ruling declared the current legislative maps unconstitutional and is working toward declaring new ones. Myers' current Assembly district is in the top left corner of Milwaukee County, bordering Waukesha and Ozaukee counties.

Myers said the four sets of maps still under consideration by the court could bring some "slight changes" to the Senate district, "but I don't know that it would change the trajectory of the entire district." Taylor's district included much of the northwestern portion of Milwaukee County.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rep. LaKeshia Myers running for Lena Taylor's Senate seat, has her support